Being an actor in Hollywood is not as easy as you might think. It can be quite a stressful job. You have to deal with demanding and ever-changing material, challenging co-stars, taxing directors, producers, audience expectations, financial goals and so on. There’s a lot of pressure that goes on a star’s shoulders. One bad choice and their whole career could spiral. They could lose their carefully crafted image and their connection with their fanbase. So, it’s no surprise that you see a lot of them stick to the type of movies that made them famous or the genres they feel comfortable in.
The movie industry is not a casino, and actors rarely gamble with their careers, unless they’re driven by something bigger like artistic fulfilment. Then, they might feel like placing a bet on the roulette table and see where the little white ball lands. Nowadays, people don’t even have to leave their homes to do just that, they can find a great online casino on their phone and play.
Long gone are the days where you had to be on the casino floor to win big, now, life is all about convenience and gambling is keeping pace. Today, you get to choose from every game imaginable from the comfort of your living room, and you get the chance to win progressive jackpots, as well as have the opportunity to do some gambling for free through perks like the best casino bonus.
The following thespians didn’t choose to bet big on a hand of blackjack, but on a role, with their careers.
Christian Bale in The Machinist
Credit: Paramount Classics
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You’ve probably seen that image of Bale looking emancipated and skeleton-like. If you weren’t aware, it was from this 2004 mystery-thriller directed by Brad Anderson.
Bale’s career was taking off in the early 2000s, he had done American Psycho and the successful Shaft remake, and even though he hit a snag with Reign of Fire, which was a box office bomb, he starred in the acclaimed Equilibrium and was in talks to play Batman. So, many found it strange that he lost over 60 pounds to be in a low-budget indie movie that was shot in Spain.
Charlize Theron in Monster
Credit: K/W Productions
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Why would one of the most beautiful women in the world put make-up to appear uglier? Well, to give a career-defining performance, one that would win her an Oscar.
In 2003, Theron starred in the indie fare – Monster, the life story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute that murdered seven of her clients.
Tom Hanks in Philadelphia
Credit: TriStar Pictures
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To younger people, it’s probably weird to find out that Hanks was mainly a comedic actor in the 80s. Not mainly, that’s all he did, and they were some of his best films.
But at the start of the 90s, he decided to go into a more serious direction and accepted the role of an AIDs patient in Jonathan Demme’s – Philadelphia. He would go on to win the Oscar for his portrayal and move on to more serious characters.
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